DARLING TELLS IT LIKE IT IS

Sunday papers awash with talk of a rift between the Chancellor and the Prime Minister. Why? Because Alisdair Darling has quite patently told the truth and actually it's a refreshing change from the usual twaddle and fudging. He even said (shock horror) that people were "pissed off" with the Government. Well, they are, aren't they?

I heard a rumour once that darling used to be a Darling of the left ie Militant. Well, true or not, in this particular case he has not toed the democratic centralist Cabinet line - and I think more of him for it, frankly.

WOOLLY JUMPERS AND WINDFALLS

I had my first sighting yesterday of the new crop of brussels sprouts . Coupled with the arrival of corn on the cob in our local co-op that means autumn is almost upon us. I'm not upset in one way as I haven't had the most pleasant of summers - but the falling temperatures are going to hit all of us hard when it comes to fuel bills.
I'm a long way from being in fuel poverty but nevertheless I will be donning extra woolly jumpers, lighting the wood-burning stove and basically doing anything I can to cut costs.
If we don't as a Party do something radical to ensure the utilities pay for their rank profiteering we will not be forgiven. The windfall tax proposal, now backed I believe by 93 MPs, and thousands of activists, is an excellent one which I think would win the Government some much-needed support. On another note I was pleased to see that the Treasury is actually considering allowing local authorities to buy back homes which are repossessed . I furst heard of this proposal some months ago from Tony Benn at the LRC's LEAP conference and it is a bit heartening to note the Govt going even some way towards more council housing.

HOW ARE WE GOING TO VOTE?

Intriguingly, the Independent reports today that activists are going to "try and force a vote" on windfall tax at Labour Party Conference. I hope this is so and I will urge our delegate to support but how exactly are we going to "vote" as contemporary motions have been abolished. Presumably, it will be a symbolic vote ? If passed, it will at least show we can raise issues and get them debated. And next year let's bring back contemporary motions.......

BENN AND McDONNELL BACK THE CONVENTION OF THE LEFT ......

I was asked last night to circulate the following statement which will be the basis of debate at the Convention Of The Left in September in Manchester . Inside Labour, the Convention is backed by the LRC and Labour Briefing. Outside Labour, support comes from a range of groups including RESPECT, the Green Left, the SWP, but NOT the Socialist Party (they are, one assumes, still vainly trying to launch their Campaign For A New Workers 'Party)
The Convention is a lot more realistic and united. It's not about standing alternative candidates to Labour ( otherwise the LRC could not be involved). It is about standing together on what unites as as people on the left - NOT indulging in faction-fighting, splitting and wrecking ( as per usual)
We're awaiting support from a variety of people who wil be making a prominent contribution to the debate in a few weeks' time. Tony Benn and John McDonnell MP are among the first to do so In the meantime, I have a little but nevertheless important caveat. I think we must distinguish between "New" Labour and of course the Labour Party which is not, and never will be the same as those who have hi-jacked our aims and dreams over the last 11 years. Those still remain. Beyond that, I agree........here's the original statement

"We explicitly challenge Labour’s programme of warmongering, neo-liberal privatisation and failure to tackle environmental destruction.
We believe that there is an alternative. The wealth exists in the world to abolish famine and poverty and to pay for our essential needs; the debt-fuelled culture of conspicuous consumption does not produce a fairer or happier society – and is anyway unsustainable; and peaceful collective public enterprise is preferable to the private profit-making of the unregulated market and its escalating competition for scarce resources. The problem is capitalism, which produces only for profit not need, which destroys the environment and carries out endless warfare in pursuit of market domination.
But we also believe that we must win these arguments. The Left is weak and has been repeatedly forced on the defensive. We must find ways to develop and promote alternative positive policies and demands – of peace, social and environmental justice, public ownership, workers’ rights, civil liberties and equality.
We must join together with all those seeking a better society, as an anti-capitalist left fighting for an alternative socialist society.
The Convention of The Left therefore aims to debate alternative strategies that are critical of capitalism – environmentally and socially just, inclusive and peaceful, pluralist, tolerant – in pursuit of a greater common objective that benefits the many and not the few. We aim to ask ourselves the essential questions – the whole Convention is a kind of “Question Time For The Left” – and we hope to arrive at some of the answers.
We also aim to encourage participation from below, not top-down platforms. We want to start defining new ways of working - so that we can join together in making policies, putting forward demands and campaigning in practice - regardless of the organisations (or none) that we may belong to or support.
We are not saying that this means the construction of another political party. But we do resolve to find ways that the Left as a whole can co-ordinate action both nationally and locally wherever we can. We are not aiming to displace existing united campaigns, but to strengthen these and to encourage working together across the widest range of organisations and individuals.
We therefore resolve to encourage the development of local left forums, and support those already in existence, in order to promote discussion and co-ordinate united action across the Left, in an inclusive, participatory, pluralist, tolerant and democratic way.
We also resolve to hold a “Recall Event” on Saturday November 29th at which we will seek agreement to ideas and demands emerging from the Convention.

BACK ON DUTY

Very heartened by comradely messages . Thanks again.
Long day today backwards and forwards to Manchester but politically back on duty as managed to fit in crunch meeting of the Convention Of The Left. Only three weeks to go till this and of course Labour Party Conference. Where did the summer go.......now have to frantically catch up on stuff I should have done several weeks ago. Will report back more when I have fine tuned some thoughts tomorrow......

WHEN TROUBLES COME...

This was never meant to be a personal blog. I think that sort of thing is best reserved for friends and family. But I have been touched by the messages of support from people I don't know but who have left kind thoughts about my father. I also found out today that members of my family who I haven't seen for ages read it so I'm just posting a personal thank-you to all. My dad is still in hospital and we're coping on a day-to-day basis. I hope he will rally round. I just don't know.
The point is I suppose that we spend most of our lives denying the fact of our ( and others) mortality but it is just something that has to be faced. Found out also today that a young cousin of mine has just died and that my late mother's sister, who I have always regarded as a "second mum" is now in a care home in the West of Ireland with Alzheimer's. Have spent most of the evening in tears. Not for me but for the fact that life is often very difficult for those whose loved ones are ill and in trouble.
As Shakespeare said, when troubles come they come not in single spies but in battalions.........but in times of difficulty I suppose we also find out who our true friends are. I think these things help us through the bad times. They also make us appreciate the good times - which in an effort to be optimistic I hope will one day soon return.
Whatever our political differences, whatever our arguments, let's hope we all share a common humanity which makes us look out for each other. My dad would say that's what socialism is all about.......

OUT OF ACTION BECAUSE.....

I didn't see the closing or opening ceremonies of the Olympics. In fact I haven't seen much this week beyond buses and trains as I have been focussing on family issues and looking after my 88-year-old Dad who's still conalescing so frankly the travails of the Labour Party are not my top priority at the moment.
There is little to inspire. And I haven 't got a lot new to say that can be said in a constructive fashion. So circumspect is where I am at the moment.Hopefully things will be a little more inspiring once the Party conference season starts - and Press Senior is able to get out and about again.

PREZZA AND CLASS ...

Two years ago in Manchester a contrite John Prescott apologised for embarrassing the Labour Party via his affair with Tracey Temple. Today the ex-DPM was on the front page of the Daily Mail cavorting with Jodie Marsh for some spurious "documentary" on social class. What is it with politicians like Prescott that they cannot retire from the limelight gracefully? And, worse, hang out with Z-list "celebrities"
Given how much Prezza famously hates the media, he doesn't half go out of his way to court publicity and predictably silly headlines. Whatever endearing qualities he once possessed as the Government's token working-class hero are long gone.......

ANN CRYER TO STAND DOWN

The BBC reports that Ann Cryer, MP in the neighbouring constituency of Keighley, is standing down. Sad news that yet another member of the Campaign Group is to go - but possibly an opportunity for a left woman if it's AWS. Left activists in Keighley CLP persuaded Ann Cryer to nominate John McDonnell for Leader - they have my best wishes in choosing a successor. I might even put a CV in myself.........
There will be those who will herald Ann's retirement as another nail in the coffin of the PLP left. Not necessarily. The Campaign Group has ceased to be the only benchmark of left cred and there are sundry other MPs outside the Group who stand firm against New Labour. I'm optimistic more will be selected
I met Ann when I was in Keighley recently for a Civic Service - very impressed by its multi-cultural flavour. You do not often get imams reading from the Quran in a Catholic church.....

THE LABOUR WAY IS THE BETTER WAY...........

My thanks to young Strowger of Hebden Bridge for sending me to my bookshelves in search of the 1979 Labour Manifesto. Title as above. At the time, I can recall many of us thought the slogan a tad bland ( which it was) and in any case "Sunny Jim" Callaghan was well to the right of where most of us young trouble-makers were. You know what?

The sad thing is that Labour's middle-of-the-road, moderate 1979 Manifesto would now cause apoplexy in the ranks of New Labour. Public sector pay to be in line with the private sector, increased public ownership, backing for the nationalised Girobank and National Savings, increased investment in public sector railways, more money for council housing, long-term unemployed (12 months) to be offered a job or re-training - NOT benefit cuts.No new generation of nuclear weapons. These days, the LRC puts forward a similar programme and gets accused of being loony left. THIS was the policy programme agreed by Callaghan, Hattersley, Jenkins and Benn. The broad church we used to be proud of .

I quote the opening Manifesto paragraph:"The Labour Party is a democratic socialist Party and proud of it. We seek to build a stromger and more prosperous Britain - and we are determined to see that all our people share fully in that prosperity.We want a Britain which is open and democratic and which puts fair earnings for working people and the needs of the under-privileged before the demands of private profit." Wouldn't change a word. Would you?

GO BILL!

Below a shameless cut and paste from Bill Butler's website. Shame he's not standing for Leader but at least there is a clear red line here between the policies he believes in and New Labour.

"We need a strong leadership team at Holyrood which will work with all sections of the party to shape a progressive policy programme and build the modern organisational structure needed to deliver it.
I will be calling for a root and branch review of the party’s structure, and constitution to meet the demands of the 21st century political arena. I also pledge to involve all members and affiliates in a revamped Policy Forum process; an inclusive process in which all sections of the movement can take part. I believe the voice of Labour’s membership is central to the party’s policymaking process and campaigning strategy.
I will argue in favour of policies which:
tackle poverty and inequality,
promote jobs,
develop people’s skills and widen access to education and training,
encourage parity of esteem between Holyrood and local government,
enable democratic involvement,
create safer communities,
support culture and sport,
build a better integrated, more responsive transport system,
protect our environment,
provide lifelong educational opportunities for all, and
improve our NHS.
Policies that make a difference, including:
The taking back into public ownership of the railways
Re-regulation of the buses
The establishment of a Scottish Investment Bank
The expansion of apprenticeships
A root and branch reform of the Council Tax
Greater investment in public sector rented housing
An equality of funding between PFI and conventional procurement

LIFE ON MARS

I have been reading Michael Palin's Diaries ( see below) and they are a fascinating account of the years from the beginnings of Monty Python ( 1969) to the election of Margaret Thatcher ( 1979) . For most of this period I was at school or university - meanwhile Palin and pals were becoming megastars both here and across the Atlantic.
These days he's largely renowned as that nice man who does the travel documentaries but the Diaries remind one just how anarchic and anti-Establishment Monty Pythion was perceived to be at the time. Interspersed with the personal moments are references to the politics of the time. Palin, as you would expect from such a thoroughly decent chap, is ( or at least was then) a solid Labour supporter and a political animal . He notes things like the 1975 Referendum on the Common Market, the three-day week in 1974, Labour's libertarian stance on homosexuality and abortion, and other radical issues of the day, including the famous gig for Amnesty International in 1975. The book is a thoroughly entertaining snapshot of the time - even if it does make me feel terribly old......

IT''S THE POLICIES, STUPID.....

To the Guardian on-line this morning after night of insomnia ( got to sleep 5.30am but got through 300 pages of Michael Palin's Diaries) to read that changing Brown with Miliband would make absolutely no difference to Labour's poll ratings.
Maybe I'm just exhausted from lack of sleep but is anyone really suggesting this is front-page news. Why, exactly, would changing the face ( but not the policies) change anyone's mind? In the ICM poll, when people were asked to choose the best prime minister between Cameron and Brown, or Cameron and Miliband, the Tory leader beat both men by the same 21% margin.Well, he would. Because no matter how much fresher-faced he is , Miliband has exactly the same policies .And frankly people have wised up to that.
Labour MPs still sunning themselves in Tuscany or wherever need to take that on board and come back determined to change direction. A change of leader, in itself, would change nothing. A change of leader, and a change in policy towards the left-of-centre, would. Interesting. though, that more Tory voters are minded to vote Miliband. Will this news stop a coup in its tracks? We shall see in Manchester........at the moment we are still on course to lose 140 seats.

THE UNKINDEST CUT..

Call me cynical, but would last night's documentary about female genital mutilation have even got off the drawing-board had its protagonist not been young, attractive, extremely middle-class and more than a little bit ditzy. "The Perfect Vagina" examined in rather unnecessary detail why more and more women are having their sex organs trimmed to suit society's apparent need for women who look like Barbie dolls.
Lisa Rogers should be applauded for bringing to light a disturbing trend -one which beggars belief some 50 years after the first stirrings of "women's lib." The footage of a young girl screaming in pain as her vagina was injected before surgery is not something one forgets in a hurry. But some of the film was, frankly, a little too prurient. And Rogers was so worried about the (hardly necessary) prospect of splaying her legs for the plastic surgeon making thousands out of this criminal practice that she completely forgot to give him the excoriation he so richly deserved.
Surgeons who make money out of young girls' insecurities are frankly scum and one wonders if the result of this programme will be raised consciousness or more customers ? The sight of Rogers "having a Brazilian" was frankly also unnecessary. The assumption this is commonplace practice was extraordinary. I don't know any women who go in for it but maybe it/'s a generational thing.
Other criticisms? The documentary was also appallingly snobbish. Rogers's cool middle-class male mates had of course the right attitudes towards women and their "bits." Her working-class builders, by way of contrast, were sexist oiks. A representative study? Hardly. And finally the "dippy hippy" she made fun of was actually employing a technique I read of years ago in feminist Bible "Our Bodies Our Selves" - namely women's self-help groups examining each other's genitalia for reassurance. Not my cup of tea either - but hardly a new phenomenon. In conclusion, this is an issue which needed to be taken seriously. This documentary was just froth.

BRINGING IN MORE BLAIRITES IS NOT THE ANSWER TO GORDON'S WOES

So. Gordon Brown has apparently found the solution to the travails he has recently endured. More progressive policies? A large V-sign to the plotters and pals of Miliband who have been scuttling around for the past few weeks. Well, no. He's going to promote another Blairite.

Guardian reports that Jim Murphy, the Minister for Europe, "impressed the prime minister with his handling of the Lisbon treaty during its bumpy passage through the Commons, and is being pencilled in as the next Scottish Secretary." "Bumpy passage?" We should have had a referendum - the whole business/con-trick of the Lisbon Treaty is one of the reasons why the public remains disenchanted. Risdibly, the Guardian reports that this move is being pushed "to unite the Party." Does Brown ever, ever think of reaching out a friendly hand to those left-of-centre? Now that really might go some way towards healing a few rifts

LET'S TAKE THESE HOMES BACK INTO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP

News today that repossession orders are up by a quarter across the UK. No surprise, really. As the credit crunch bites and food and utilities bills go through the roof then more and more people are going to be in difficulties. I was eminently lucky to buy a house at a time when houses round here really were affordable .I have five years to go on my mortgage but managed in the good years to pay a substantial part off the original £47,000 cost of my house. Most people now are not so fortunate - indeed the very notion of any house for £47,000 is pretty unthinkable.
As this crisis gets worse, more and more people will face the indignity of repossession and possible homelessness. Why should they? Tony Benn came up with an eminently sensible proposition a couple of months back at the Left Economic Advisory Panwl conference - which was for local authorities to buy repossessed homes, take them back into the public sector and allow families to stay there on a renting basis. Indeed, so sensible is this plan that apparently that rabid left-winger Hilary Benn is supportive of the LEAP proposal espoused by his dad. If this became policy, it would be a popular move which might win the Government back some credibility and support.

A LEVELS

Are they getting easier? Oh yawn.......every year the papers run the same old opinion pieces claiming that a piece of cheese could these days achieve "A" grades at A Level. I know one thing. It's an event you never forget.
The day I got my A Level results - Friday August 13 1976 - is etched on my memory for several reasons. One. I did pretty astoundingly well as I was a swot. Two. My friend ( who had done similarly well) joined me in exile that night as most of our pals had done rather less well and did not exactly crave our company. So we consoled ourselves with some vodkas and limes in the Salisbury pub in Manchester. Three. The following day we were going to a wedding involving a schoolmate who had been expelled from the sixth-form for the terrible sin of selling the Militant ( it was a strict Catholic convent) . So 32 years on I often wonder is she still married ( unlikely )? And is she (even more unlikely) still a Militant supporter ?
Just an addendum - I was one of those weird people who actually enjoyed doing exams ( rush of adrenaline and so on). I would have absolutely hated all the coursework young people have to plough through now. So congrats to all, and don't listen to the naysayers......

UNISON SCOTLAND BACKS JAMIESON AND BUTLER

As UNISON Scotland last year backed John McDonnell for Labour Leader, looks like this one is officially the left ticket then....... below from PA:

Labour leadership contender Cathy Jamieson has won the backing of party supporters in the trade union Unison, it has been announced.
The union's Scottish LabourLink - which represents the 55,000 Unison members affiliated to Labour - said it was supporting her.It is also backing Bill Butler for the post of Labour's deputy leader at Holyrood.Ms Jamieson, the former justice minister, is competing against ex-enterprise minister Iain Gray and former health minister Andy Kerr to succeed Wendy Alexander.Members of Unison Scottish LabourLink met all the leadership candidates on Tuesday night.Afterwards chair of the group Pat Rowland said: "We heard a series of excellent presentations from all the candidates in this important election and were impressed by the range of ideas and the quality of all the candidates."However, the committee overwhelmingly believes that Cathy Jamieson and Bill Butler best reflect the key Labour values that Unison believes the party has to champion if Labour is to retain the support of working people."

ANOTHER BY-ELECTION

It's sad news that Labour faces another by-election in Glenrothes following the untimely death of John MacDougall.
Mr MacDougall, an MP since 2001, died last night after what was apparently a long battle against mesothelioma, an incurable cancer of the lungs, aged only 60. He held a majority over the SNP at the last election of 11,000.
That would be enough for Labour to hold the seat in normal circumstances. However, following the Glasgow East by-election last month, circumstances are anything but normal.
Given that MacDougall had a long track-record as a local politician and in the Scottish labour movement, one would hope Labour will hang onto the seat. In the meantime, our thoughts should be not with the pollsters but with his family.

SUPPORT THE CALDER VALLEY RESOLUTION IN MANCHESTER

It's Labour Party Conference in a few weeks' time and already there are dire warnings of plots and intrigue on a grand scale - Johnson and Miliband. Miliband and Milburn. Cruddas and Johnson. Whichever. But as these characters try to stitch things up they should remember one thing. It should be we, the ordinary members, who decide who is Leader and Deputy of our Party.
Last time round , we were denied a choice. And just look at the consequences. Gordon Brown thought he had a free run to do exactly as he wished - which meant the Party and the Government veered sharply to the right. A Leader elected only by the PLP . A complete abnegation of Party democracy. That must never, ever happen again.
Next time there is a vacancy, it's unlikely there will be a "coronation." But under present rules, it IS likely that there will not be a broad spread of candidates. The current threshold was originally introduced to stop left-wing challenges. But it has actually disenfranchised members with varying kinds of views.
And that's why the Calder Valley resolution - one of the few issues you wil actually be able to vote on at Conference - is SO important. Let's be 100 per cent clear about this. It's not about getting rid of Gordon Brown. It's not about stalking horses. The whole point is to make sure the members and trade unionists have a voice. ALL of us. When there is a vacancy.
If you're a CLP or trade union delegate, support our resolution - which will lower the nominations threshold for Leader and Deputy from 12.5 to 7.5 per cent of the PLP.

BILL 4 DEPUTY IN SCOTLAND

In a previous life, I spent a lot of time in Glasgow. Particularly the West End. Fond memories of The Ubiquitous Chip and other haunts but I digress from the fact that I hope Bill Butler gets the Deputy Leadership of the Scottish Labour group in Holyrood. He's convenor of the Campaign for Socialism so would get my vote ( if I had one) .I still think it's a shame Elaine Smith did not stand but anyway good luck to Bill . Cathy Jamieson seems to be the best bet for Leader. Look forward to discussing more with Scottish comrades in a few weeks' time.

DREAM TICKETS ARE OFTEN NIGHTMARES

Being a woman of a certain age, my memories of Labour "dream tickets" go back a long way. Kinnock and Hattersley, Heffer and Meacher, Benn and Heffer, and, oh yes, Blair and Prescott. To my eternal chagrin, I actually voted for the latter.

Prescott, many of us thought in our naivete, would be the Old Labour ballast to stop the right-wing Blair from straying too far from the path of social justice and core Labour values. We all know what happened there. But at least in those days Labour won General Elections .We are now in a very different place. Yet union leaders and a sizeable number of MPs are apparently backing a so-called "dream ticket" of Alan Johnson and Jon Cruddas. ie a Blairite for the top job and a soft-left MP for a job that means nothing. Can someone please explain to me in what sense this would be better than what we have now? Because the bottom line is that New labour would still be in charge.

I would have far more respect for Jon Cruddas if he announced his candidature for the top job. That would be perfectly understandable and an honest position. And a soft left PM would arguably make a siignificant difference to who was in and out of Government.

Instead, the Compass wing is cosying up to the right and basically acting as a toothless buffer zone to hinder real policy changes and give the unions another chance to cop out of backing a real candidate of the left. Would Alan Johnson seriously change tack policywise? Even if he is less "ultra" and frankly more likeable than the likes of Milburn and Miliband the end result will be the same. And was it not Johnson himself who said he "was not up to being Prime Minister." He may have an aura of Harry Perkins. He certainly hasn't got his politics......

A COMRADE OF GREAT COURAGE

Today I sent a card to a comrade who is currently recovering in hospital from an horrific accident. Nigel Pearce of the NUM has been one of the strongest supporters round here of our struggle to re-claim Labour from the Blairites and is a sincere , committed socialist with agreat sense of humour . He has also attended every West Yorkshire LRC meeting I have ever organised -until now.
While on holiday in Spain , Nigel had a motorbike accident and spent many weeks in a Spanish hospital before being flown home a couple of weeks ago. He's come out of a coma, is currently in a wheelchair but so I hear absolutely determined to walk again, "upbeat" and cheerful. In short, a bit of an inspiration to the rest of us. Get well soon, Nigel. Card in the post and will come and see you soon in Wakefield. Your presence is much missed.

TONY'S SAFEST SEAT

There are not many 83-year-old left-wingers who get positive coverage and picture spreads in the Mail On Sunday but LRC supporter and octogenarian Tony Benn manages to do exactly that today by publicising his "front-bencher" - a contraption he has invented to enable him to sit down while waiting for trains, taxis or whatever. A story which truly epitomises the silly season.........and Benn's now offiicial status as a National Treasure

THE OTHER ALLENDE .....

It's not often these days that I pick up a book and can't put it down. However, at 3.30am have just finished reading an astonishing memoir by the Chilean writer Isabel Allende. Like most books on my bedside table, it's not exactly current as due to the speed with which I read Oxfam is my library of choice. But Paula , published some years ago, is nevertheless worth seeking out. A consummate storyteller, Allende, whose cousin was Salvador Allende, somehow manages to combine the tragic tale of a terminally ill daughter with an ultimately positve spiritual message, political passion and a journalist's eye for the minutiae which make up our lives - and deaths. The Marxist poet Pablo Neruda, who died shortly after the terrible coup in 1973, told her once she was the "worst journalist in Chile. " He was wrong. She's not only a great journalist but a fantastic and inspiring writer. And as a new memoir has just been published may just patronise Waterstone's for once....

SUPPORT THE WINDFALL TAX CAMPAIGN

Tribune has joined forces with Compass in a campaign for a windfall tax - not a cop-out which lets the energy companies off the hook. A campaign very much worth signing up to . Backing already from Tony Benn, Dianne Abbott and Keighley MP Ann Cryer.

BY-ELECTION LOSS IN HEBDEN BRIDGE

Bad result last night for Labour in Hebden Bridge. We lost the West End ward - which reduces the number of councillors we have to six out of 18. Bad, especially, as our candidate was an excellent choice and would have been a real asset to the council. He has also lived here for 12 years with many years' experience in the Labour movement - unlike his Liberal Democrat oppo who moved here just a few months ago. That's politics. And that's unfortunately the state of play at the moment for the moment when Labour stands in elections. Thanks to those who helped leaflet and canvas. Here's to a better result next time.

DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET......

The increasing desperation at the heart of Government is shown in the fact that Number 10 is to launch its own TV channel. Yes, Gordon Brown's website is receiving a summer "re-vamp," and will apparently soon feature a link to an online portal allowing users to watch television clips of the Prime Minister in action. Does anyone seriously think this will improve Labour's ratings in the polls. ? It is precisely the kind of nonsense that Gordon Brown said he was against when he became Leader just over a year ago. What we need is a positive message to people that we really are, to use the jargon "on their side." How about a windfall tax to cut into the profits of the utility companies whoi are bleeding us dry? Now that might REALLY do something to stem the freefall we are in .

MILBURN AND MILIBAND

It's nice to know that Alan Milburn is going to be the new Chancellor in a Miliband Government. Would be nice, n'est ce pas, if Labour Party members were consulted about these arrangements.
Sadly for the two ultra right-wingers it's down to the grassroots members and trade unions who would be elected in a leadership contest. I suggest you all support the Calder Valley leadership change at Labour Party Conference - cutting the threshold from 12.5 per cent to 7 percent of the PLP in the advent of a contest - which gives us all a say. How dare these apparatchiks and wonks tell us which direction the Labour Party is going to take.

CLARE SHORT IS RIGHT ABOUT MILIBAND

Clare Short has made lots of mistakes in her time - not least not resigning over Iraq. And she was utterly wrong to abandon the Labour whip. Nevertheless, she makes some very salient points re Miliband in today's Independent. She shares my ( widely held) view that Gordon Brown's biggest mistake was not shifting left and sticking with the Blairite agenda. And that Miliband, far from being the answer to anyone's electoral prayers, would be an unmitigated disaster.


http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/clare-short-how-can-miliband-be-the-answer-to-labours-ills-885219.html

BORIS BACKS OUT OF MAYORS FOR PEACE

Until this morning, I wasn't aware that Boris Johnson had disassociated himself from the Mayors For Peace Initiative.But I don't suppose I am surprised. However, given that it costs nothing and is just a global message of goodwill and support for a nuclear-free world, it seems both petty and wrong-headed.
Last year our Town Council signed up to the initiative so I'm pleased to have just signed a statement in support of Cities Appeal backing the Hiroshima-Nagasaki protocol, which is aiming for a nuclear-free world by 2020.
Here's the quote I gave to the local press: ” As a council, we are supporters of the Mayors For Peace initiative and the Hiroshima-Nagasaki protocol is an important part of that process. Its goal of achieving a nuclear-free world by 2020 is one I wholeheartedly support and I’m pleased to offer our support for this global campaign. Relying on weapons of mass destruction to keep the world a peaceful one is madness. If we wish to safeguard future generations, we need to take serious steps to rid the world of the appalling prospect of nuclear war.”

UNITED WE STAND - IN OPPOSITION TO NEW LABOUR

This afternoon I received the (more or less) final timetable for the Convention Of The Left event taking place in Manchester from September 20 -24 ie at the same times as the Labour Party Conference. The LRC is taking part in several seminars and it will all be kicked off at 3pm on Saturday September 20 by John McDonnell MP and Tony Benn. Venue is the Friends Meeting House -only yards from the LP Conference hall at G-Mex.
Unlike the bigger event, there will be no ring of steel . And admission is free ( donations welcome) .Those of us involved in the logistics of bringing together various left groups both inside and outside the Labour Party are currently wracking our brains for a common theme or "line to take" in the common vernacular.
I am still pondering this one but it may well turn out to be about the fact that the issues which unite us on the left are far more than those which divide us. Peace not war, people not profit, .......anyway, the timetable is worth a look on the COL website

THE SISTERS OF SYCOPHANCY

A year ago , Jackie Ashley and Polly Toynbee were extolling the many virtues of Gordon Brown. Now he has been utterly abandoned for the cause of David Miliband. The fact that there is not a cigarette paper between either in terms of policy concerns them not a jot.
Like maiden aunts gushing over a favourite nephew, they now wax lyrical over Miliband in frankly embarrassing terms. This is Ashley today in the Guardian:
I've known him since he was a 16-year-old schoolboy - when he tipped up at my sister's local Labour party, brimming with enthusiasm. Until recently I thought he was nice, bright, charming - but too cerebral to strike, too academic for the very top in politics. But something inside him has shifted. I've been struggling to think what it is, and the real thing is - he no longer looks frightened.
Reminiscent of Sylvie Krin in Provate Eye, isn't it? But sadly, and inexplicably, Ashley and Toynbee are probably two of the most influential columnists we have.
In the world outside New Labour's charmed circle, there is a rather more intelligent perception as to why the Party is in trouble. Quite simply, the policies are wrong, wrong, wrong.
It matters not whether Miliband Senior Junior, Milburn, Purnell or even Balls is our next Leader. They are all New Labour.
The reason people like Jackie Ashley are so desperately bigging up Miliband is they and their pals in Westminster know that New Labour's time is running out . So the plot, conspire and badmouth Gordon Brown. It is an undedifying spectacle. As John McDonnell has said over the weekend, it's time for these people to come out of the dark, declare their intentions and call for a leadership contest ASAP. That is the only honest thing we can now do if the Labour Party is to regain the respect of the electorate. But we do need a proper debate. Not Machiavellian drama.

GORDON BROWN AS TRAGIC HERO

In the early hours of the morning, I scoured the Sunday papers and decided I could not be bothered blogging any more about who's leaked what, to whom and why. The dying days of New Labour are febrile with disloyalty, betrayal, ambition, and all the other ingredients which make politics a very nasty game.
Undoubtedly, it's the policies as much as the personalities which have contributed to this sorry tale. But Brown's innate insecurities have also contributed to his imminent downfall.
He is, indeed a tragic hero - in the literary sense .
Eng Lit students of a certain age will have read A C Bradley's Shakespearean Tragedy - in which protagonists are all assigned a "fatal flaw" which leads to their downfall. Othello's, obviously, is jealousy. Macbeth's ambition. Hamlet's is procrastination. In his 25 years in Parliament, Brown has somehow managed to combine all three of these very human traits. So no wonder he's in serious trouble.
Aristotle also had five prerequisites for tragic heroes . They normally start off being nobly born or blessed with wisdom. Unfortunately, they then fall prey to something called Hamartia, roughly translated as an error in judgment. This then leads to peripeteia - a reversal of fortune brought about because of the hero's mistake. Closely followed by anagnorisis - recognition it's basically his own fault. Then there's catharsis - a purging of all all the above.
Where is Brown amid this Greek tragedy? Stage 4. As he broods on the beach at Southwold,
my guess is he knows that his current malaise is all his own fault. The question is what happens next.
As the Blairite vultures gather round, my guess is he will end up, tragically, like King Lear, alone on the "blasted heath" of New Labour.